Mr. Obvious wrote:
Kikuyu and Luhya are part of the Bantu expansion, but I don't know if any elite runners come out of Kikyuy or Luhya peoples.
There was this one Kikuyu guy I heard about. I think his name was Wanjiru, or maybe it was Kamau or something like that.
http://www.nowpublic.com/sports/samuel-wanjiru-installed-kikuyu-elderinsiders know wrote:
Mr. Obvious wrote:Kikuyu and Luhya are part of the Bantu expansion, but I don't know if any elite runners come out of Kikyuy or Luhya peoples.
There was this one Kikuyu guy I heard about. I think his name was Wanjiru, or maybe it was Kamau or something like that.
http://www.nowpublic.com/sports/samuel-wanjiru-installed-kikuyu-elder
Thanks, as I noted, I am not super knowledgeable about the ethnicity of various Kenyan runners (besides the commonly cited "most of them are Kalenjin" claim. Wikipedia also lists Douglas Wakiihuru, John Ngugi, and Catherine Ndereba as being Kikuyu. so, at least some of the great Kenyan runners are indeed products of the Bantu expansion.
In 1972 Julius Sang took the bronze medal in the 400 (44.9) and Kenya WON the 4x400 in 2:59. Sang was from the Rift Valley (Kapsabet) according to his sports-reference biography.
Seraphino Antao. Gold at 100 & 220 yards at the 1962 British Empire Games.
He was of Asian heritage though. He was Kenyan flag bearer at the 1964 Olympics
Mr. Obvious wrote:
insiders know wrote:There was this one Kikuyu guy I heard about. I think his name was Wanjiru, or maybe it was Kamau or something like that.
http://www.nowpublic.com/sports/samuel-wanjiru-installed-kikuyu-elderThanks, as I noted, I am not super knowledgeable about the ethnicity of various Kenyan runners (besides the commonly cited "most of them are Kalenjin" claim. Wikipedia also lists Douglas Wakiihuru, John Ngugi, and Catherine Ndereba as being Kikuyu. so, at least some of the great Kenyan runners are indeed products of the Bantu expansion.
1. John Ngugi
2. Douglas Wakiihuri
3. Eric Wainaina
4. Julius Kariuki
5. Sammy Kamau Wanjiru
6. Catherine Nyambura Ndereba
7. Martin Mathathi Irungu
8. Daniel Njenga
9. Bedan Karoki Muchiri
10. Monica Wangare
11. Margaret Wangari Muriuki
12. Esther Wanjiru Maina
13. Julia Mumbi
14. Samuel Muturi Mugo
15. Daniel Muturi Wahome
16. Leonard Mucheru (salim Jawher)
17. Kenneth Mburu Mungara
18. Veronica Nyaruai
19. Mercy Wanjiku Njoroge
20. Mary Wacera Ngugi
To name but a few.
Also, anyone named Maina, wanjiru, wangari, mwangi, njoroge......
Mid-distance wrote:
I honestly think the one of the main fundamental reasons is the perpetuation of the stereotype that East Africans are only good at long distance races and should never try for other track events, at least in the case of Ethiopians. Mohamed Aman, the rising star of the middle distance, relates that he was ridiculed by his countrymen for first starting out in the middle distance races.
I also think major malnutrition, which affects muscular growth and final height, is another fundamental problem that may contribute to the lack of world-class East African sprinters.
Yes, I think it's less genetics and more social and societal factors. Kenya is a poor, underdeveloped country. And so are the people. Sprinters need tracks, weight rooms, coaching. This all costs money which the Kenyans don't have, at least for sport. They need it for more important things like social infrastructure. I think there's one all-weather track in the entire country. In the U.S. most high schools have one. That in itself tells you why there's no sprinters in Kenya. In contrast, you don't even need a pair of shoes to become a distance runner with all the dirt roads and altitude there.
Also social pressure or lack of it. LIke white sprinters in the U.S. there's just no role models or appreciation for sprinters there -- so people who might be genetically great for sprinting don't go into the event -- they play soccer.
Thanks NativeSon
are there any famous Luyha distance runners? Luo?
I'm going to set the bar higher and say that the Horn of Africa (Ethiopia, Eritrea, North Somalia) will never produce a world-class sprinter. Kenya is a very special outlier, and what I meant by East Africans primarily are Horn Africans.
Oh, and I purposely left out Southern and Central Somalia and possibly Djibouti because it is definitely possible with those people, but that is because the vast majority of them have significant West African ancestry compared to other Horn Africans, more than most of them would like to admit. This explains why they are so much taller and stronger than their Ethiopian neighbours. Perhaps these are the "explosive East Africans" the OP was talking about that he's known. Speaking from personal experience myself, one of the most strongest Africans I've known was a 6'3 Somali that I used to play basketball with that would have been much more suited to sprinting than basketball. Despite his typical Horn African features, he was pretty much built like a West African and is actually quite a common build among these people.
The standard should definitely be set higher to only Ethiopians and Eritreans, because I can definitely see Kenyan and Somali sprinters breaking the 10 second barrier in the near future.
Mr. Obvious wrote:
Thanks NativeSon
are there any famous Luyha distance runners? Luo?
Honestly,
I cannot know of any famous distance runners from either the Luo or Luhya communities. If there are, I am not aware.
Luos are more into football (soccer than running) and the Luhyas too.
For example, Dennis Oliech plays for AJ Auxerre in France.
mc Donald Mariga Wanyama, Kenya's most highly paid professional athlete plays for Inter Milan but is on loan to Parma.
His younger brother, Victor Mugabe Wanyama plays for the Scottish Club Celtic.
Luos form the majority of our national team Harambee Stars.
As for running, I am not aware of any.
The only guy I know is a sprinter, Robert Ouko who won gold in Kenya's 4x400m team in Munich.
"......I cannot THINK of any..."
West Africans' prospects do't look too good.
Lagos Half-Marathon results:
POSITION BIB NUMBER NAME TIME COUNTRY
1st 47 DIERDONNE DISI 1hr.03.05secs RWANDA
2nd 49 CHEBET WILSON 1hr.03.18secs KENYA
3rd 28 FESTUS LANGAT 1hr.03.28secs KENYA
4th 41 WILSON KEBENEN 1hr.04.34secs KENYA
5th 42 DUNCAN KIBET 1hr.05.10secs KENYA
6th 112 DREGE DEBEL 1hr.05.13secs ETHIOPIA
7th 13 JOHN CHERUNOF K. 1hr.05.15secs QATAR
8th 52 BAZE BERHANU A. 1hr.05.16secs TANZANIA
9th 8 MUBARAK HASSAN SHAM 1hr.07.30secs KENYA
10th 10 DICKSON MARWA MKAM 1hr.12.57secs TANZANIA
11th 109 PATRICK MUTUKU IVUTI 1hr.13.35secs KENYA
12th 5 FRANCIS KIBWUT 1hr.13.43secs KENYA
13th 51 BARNABAS KOSGEL 1hr.13.55secs KENYA
14th 53 BEN MAIYO 1hr.16.57secs KENYA
15th 9 ROBERT K. KIPCHUMBA 1hr.17.25secs KENYA
16th 1 KEVIN KIPNGEVO MUTAI 1hr.17.28secs KENYA
17th 106 ALEX MALINGA 1hr.17.41secs UGANDA
18th 30 TARIKUL JAFAR 1hr.17.43secs ETHIOPIA
You Have No idea what you are talking about... please just stop.
First timer wrote:
You Have No idea what you are talking about... please just stop.
It's easy to say "You have no idea what you're talking about" and actually not refuting my argument, but coming up with counter arguments against the facts I pose is much more difficult.
Let me ask you a fundamental question: Why is it Ethiopia, with all its resources and investments in track and field, could not send anyone who is even a fraction as competitive in sprinting as they are in long distance?
How many sprint stars are actually from West Africa. Sure there are some greats but most of the successful sprinters come from the New World. African Americans, Jamaicans, other Caribbeans, etc. are not West African they are much more ethnically diverse.
All of them.
Look at iaaf.org all time list for the 100. Other than Caribbean countries, most of them come from Nigeria.
However.. How did they get to the Caribbean? By the boat load from West Africa.
Funny, when I look at the all time list most of them come from:USAJamaicaOther Caribbean countriesLike I said African Americans, Jamaicans, etc are not just West African. They are much more ethnically diverse than that.
All of them wrote:
All of them.
Look at iaaf.org all time list for the 100. Other than Caribbean countries, most of them come from Nigeria.
However.. How did they get to the Caribbean? By the boat load from West Africa.
Aiden Burley wrote:
How many sprint stars are actually from West Africa. Sure there are some greats but most of the successful sprinters come from the New World. African Americans, Jamaicans, other Caribbeans, etc. are not West African they are much more ethnically diverse.
If you factor out "New World" Black people, the fact is that West Africa has produced the vast majority of sub-10 second times in the 100 meters, while the number of those who have accomplished the same feat and are not of West African descent can be counted on one hand.
Kenya does have a Olympic 4x400 silver medal.
David Rudisha's dad, Daniel, was a member of the team/
Lagat Fan wrote:
If you factor out "New World" Black people, the fact is that West Africa has produced the vast majority of sub-10 second times in the 100 meters, while the number of those who have accomplished the same feat and are not of West African descent can be counted on one hand.
And if you factor out "East African" black people, then the Europeans have produced the vast majority of elite distance times